


Red

by UniversalSatan



Category: Haikyuu!!, Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Auras, M/M, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Tags to be added, i promise it wont be that angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-12-04 22:41:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11564838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UniversalSatan/pseuds/UniversalSatan
Summary: Oikawa can see the red string of fate. Kise can see a very specific aura around other people.





	1. soulmate

**Author's Note:**

> A few quick notes on whats happening:  
> -I'm actually having trouble getting this out since I'm on a roadtrip across the border w/o my laptop (since its broken + im borrowing my sister's) so bear with me on updates  
> -I'm not completely reliant on the day prompts i guess??? each chapter will be titled with the prompt of the day it relates to  
> :-)

The two kids at the table beside of Oikawa were busy eating each other's faces without any concern of the setting around them (which was possibly an over-exaggeration but the point still stood). This was especially concerning to Oikawa since it really stopped him from being able to study properly.

Oikawa had to remind himself that he was a bit like that when he was younger and in his first year of college. Now being in his third year and slightly more mature, he thought himself above the rest of the first years. It was only the beginning of the semester, so it wasn't like he had that much work to catch up on in the first place. However, he had recently become one of the leaders of a club of his and took it up as his duty to be responsible for its activities.

And yet this blond kid and his petite girlfriend were here to completely ruin his concentration.

The strings on their pinky fingers weren't even connected.

That was one annoying quality Oikawa for some reason possessed. To his knowledge, no one else had any special ability anything like his. He glanced at his own pinky with its red string fading off after only a few centimeters.

Oikawa could see the red string of fate.

Honestly, Oikawa did not see this trait as an advantage or a disadvantage. While it was cute seeing all of the giddy couples meet and live happily ever after, too many times had he seen the consequences of others destined to drift apart. He'd had friends before who had been dating and seemed very in love on the outside, yet only Oikawa could guess what would eventually happen to their relationship. Hell, it even happened with his own parents. It was bittersweet when he had discovered their separated strings and eventually told his parents what he could see. His mother moved out with Oikawa into Tokyo while his father's girlfriend moved in with him. Oikawa was 10 back then.

But that was in the past. It didn't ever really bother him that much.

His own string wasn't even connected yet. The faded end twirled in the air underneath his hand as Oikawa moved his hand absently. He had to admit there was someone he was waiting for his string to attach to, yet they had known each other for a few years now and nothing had happened. He decided he'd stay friends with them for now.

"Hey, Toorucchi, what are you up to?" Speak of the devil. A short but very cute girl almost bounced up to him, sitting herself down on the bench beside him.

"Hey Maya-chan," he beamed, hastily tidying up his workspace, "Not much. I can't concentrate." Oikawa glanced down at their pinkies: still not connected. Maybe later.

"That's a shame." She glanced at the two making out in front of them in slight annoyance. Quickly, her attention shifted to some of the papers in front of them. "Are you planning for your conspiracy theory club? You're a leader now, aren't you?"

"It's not a conspiracy theory club: we actually do paranormal investigations," Oikawa whined, "Plus you're in the club too, why are you treating it like this?" Maya giggled.

"I thought you already had enough on being in volleyball."

"It's good to be well rounded."

"Fair. Just don't overtire yourself."

"Thanks Maya."

"Hey, I've got another lecture that I need to head to soon; I just stopped to say hi quickly." She stood up and brushed off her pants, readjusting her glasses up on her face neatly.

"It was a pleasure; having you around really brightens up my day," Oikawa winked, to which she laughed at.

"Alright. Have fun studying," she waved, skipping off again.

Once she was gone, Oikawa sighed and buried his face in his arms on the table. If only she could just fall in love back, and they could be connected by destiny. That would make everything so much easier than it was showing to be.

Checking his pinky just to be sure, Oikawa almost had a heart attack when he saw that his string did not just fade off after a few centimeters, and rather continued off into the distance. In fact, Oikawa was pretty sure it was heading in the direction Maya-chan had gone.

Stumbling up as quick as he could, he threw his stuff in his bag and closed it, tripping over his own feet as he ran to follow his red string. He needed to see with his own eyes that this was happening.

Skidding around a corner, he almost dropped his belongings as he searched the path for his soulmate. His eyes followed his red string that was lazily swinging from side to side by his momentum. It took him a few seconds to process the figure at the other end of the string staring back at him.

This person wasn't Maya-chan.

This was the blond kid who was making out with the petite girl earlier while Oikawa was trying to study.

* * *

Kise had a special ability that no one else had. This ability was a curse to him more than anything else.

Every person had an aura around them: the air around their heads were tinted a slightly different colour - and Kise could see that. However, these colours were very specific in their meanings. The colours went from a pale light green to a dark and almost black red. People's colours would vary on a scale depending on where they were in life, and Kise soon figured out what they meant exactly. He found out when his grandpa's almost black aura changed as he died the next day, and wondered what his young cousin's dark aura could mean until he perished in a car crash a week later.

It really was a curse, seeing when everyone was going to die. Everyone he knew, and everyone he didn't. Everyone he hated, and everyone he loved. He  _hated_  it. Sometimes he would wish that maybe if he blinked, all of the auras would be gone and they wouldn't cloud his vision anymore. But that was part of his life, and he'd have to live with it for the rest of his own.

Kise decided he would live life to its fullest, knowing that he had no power in stopping any of these deaths. His own aura was a healthy green, and the rest of his close family members and friends were good greens or light yellows.

Sauntering to his next class, he passed through a flurry of colours, painted in the air as if the corridor was a summer field. If he ever saw a muddy yellow or a red, Kise would avoid looking at that person and kept moving on.

His journey was only stopped by a pretty but breathless-looking boy - or should he say senpai - that had stopped directly in front of him and was staring back at him. He was bent over a bit to catch his breath, and his glasses were falling off of his face a bit. Kise had to admit that he was pretty attractive.

His heart jolted.

The senapi was whispering ' _no_ ' over and over again under his breath, muttering a quick ' _sorry_ ' before running out of his way and back where he had come from.

The boy's aura was a deep burgundy.


	2. time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its 2 to midnight
> 
> i made it on time for day 3,,,,,, right
> 
> sorry if pacing is a lil weird/quick

Even though his brain was desperately trying to convince himself that he should never try and interact with the dead-boy-walking ever again, every single cell in his body was telling him otherwise.

The papers gripped in his hand had messily scrawled handwriting all over them, to which Kise had not brought himself to read yet. The handwriting was almost... would he daresay cute.  Arguably his only business with them, however, was returning them to their owner, since they had fallen out of the boy's open backpack as he was running away.

It's not like he was in a rush for anything. The boy was probably running off to a lecture, so Kise had the liberty of waiting a bit before tracking him down. Sighing, he set his stuff down at a nearby table. There was nothing wrong with getting a little bit of his own work done anyhow.

Pushing aside his own bag, he set the papers this mysterious boy had dropped across the surface in front of him. He began to read their contents with a growing interest; they seemed to be for some paranormal or conspiracy club, and the boy seemed to be organizing for this. There were little doodles of cryptids or aliens and spaceships in the margins of the paper every once in a while.

While reading, Kise couldn't help but smile, both from thinking the club topic being rather silly and how adorable it was how invested this boy was within the topic. It was almost admirable. Kise absently rubbed the pinky finger of the hand he was resting his chin on.

Sitting around and doing nothing wasn't really the best way to be spending his time, so he decided he would look for this club's room itself. It was an official club here, wasn't it? Then it ought to have had a room. He supposed he could probably ask around.

It took quite a few strange looks from other students, but some blushing girls eventually directed him to where he wanted to go. They just told him the way and left him at that, to which he was relatively grateful for.

He didn't feel much like interacting with any romantically or sexually attracted girls, as the one he was making out with earlier was already enough to deal with. Not like he wanted to, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never really _feel_ anything with any girl, and it frustrated him to no end. Texting her back could wait just a little longer.

Not completely sure what to do once he got there, Kise waited awkwardly outside of where the clubroom supposedly was.

Leaning back against the wall, he watched the student body pass before him. He probably stuck out like a sore thumb: blond hair, admittedly handsome face, and being at least a head taller than everyone else. To him though, he blended in easily with the rest of the greens and yellows of auras that were passing him.

"Hello, may I help you?" A short girl with glasses walked up to him, fiddling with the clubroom door, "Are you a first year?"

Kise flashed her a polite smile: "Nice guess."

"Hey, are those Oikawacchi's papers?" She was pointing to the papers in Kise's hands, frowning slightly. "Where did you get them from?"

"Er, he dropped them. I was going to try and see if I could return them. I was eventually directed here."

"Oh! And I thought we had a new recruit," the girl shook her head disappointingly, opening the door and gesturing for Kise to follow her, "I'm Matsunaga, by the way, but you can just call me Maya. Not quite a leader of the club, but definitely one of your senpais," Maya winked.

"Maya-chan, huh. I'm Kise Ryouta. I'm a first year."

"I feel like I recognize you from somewhere, Kise-kun."

"I play a bit of high-level basketball - mostly in highschool -" Maya still seemed confused, "And I do a bit of modeling."

"Oh, that's pretty cool. I do feel like I've seen your face in some magazines, now that I think about it. Oh, and about Oikawacchi's papers-"

Almost as if his name was the cue to their entrance, the door opened suddenly and the boy rushed in. Kise's back was to the door, yet he could almost feel the reddish aura at the tips of his fingers. It unsettled him to no end and clouded his vision when he turned around to look at the boy. His heart was thumping in his chest, the reason as to why he was not quite sure to. Nevertheless, he bore a smile to let his stay in their clubroom remain welcome.

* * *

" _Shit_ ," Oikawa muttered under his breath, stepping carefully towards a chair to ditch his stuff.

Why was this guy in his clubroom? How did he even know about this obscure club of his?

His eyes flitted down to the papers in the boy's hands. A red string was draped from his hand that was clutching the papers, and trailed up to his own pinky. Oikawa dropped his hand and shook it as if the string would loosen, yet it only swayed slightly with the movement.

"Oikawacchi! This nice first year came by to give you back your planning! I was just telling him about our _wonderful_ club," Maya interrupted, chirpy as ever.

"Thanks... um..." The boy was coming up to him now and handed the papers back to Oikawa.

"Kise Ryouta. It's no problem, Oikawacchi." Kise seemed to be smiling, but Oikawa was one to know from experience that his smile didn't fully express his thoughts. After all, only a liar knows when someone else is lying.

"Oikawa Tooru... that would be Oikawa-senpai to you," he responded, straightening out the papers in his hands.

"Kise-kun here was thinking of joining the club, in fact!" Maya spoke up. Kise glanced back at her in slight confusion, but did not argue.

"Oh, really?" Oikawa asked lazily, moving over to grab his laptop from his bag instead.

"Yes! We could really use the new members, and you would be a wonderful addition to our cozy club!"

"You look at... conspiracy theories...?" Kise trailed off. Maya must have explained to him wrong.

"Paranormal investigations," Oikawa rolled his eyes, picking up a club sign-up sheet and shoving it in Kise's chest.

The last thing Oikawa wanted was this kid getting any closer to him, let alone him joining the club. With both Maya and Kise in the room, Oikawa wanted nothing else but to run up with some scissors and cut that string. That probably wasn't even possible in the first place, but it was at least worth a try.

Oikawa completely forgot about that idea once he was tapped on the shoulder. Turning around, he was greeted by the close presence of Kise, which surprised him and briefly took his breath away. When he did take a deep breath in, he could almost smell the cologne that Kise was wearing. It was rather nice on him.

Turns out he was only asking for a pen to write the application with, but Oikawa's briefly flustered reaction to the situation left him wondering what kind of an effect the string of fate was going to have on him. It really wasn't much, but Oikawa wanted to stop it before it started getting any worse.

_After all, his soulmate was supposed to be Maya, right?_

Maya was over at the table checking her phone, her hair falling in her face a little. Kise was on the other side of the table, filling out his form.

Maya was cute and years of pining definitely left Oikawa hung over her, yet it was almost as if the red string was drawing him towards Kise.

_Why was his life so conflicting?_

* * *

Literally the only reason why Kise was going on this trip with the rest of his club over the weekend was because Maya had persuaded him it was part of his duty of being in the club. He couldn't even use basketball as an excuse as they were taking a break from practice over the weekend.

It wasn't even really that big of a trip, as they were still in Tokyo, but it was still avidly organized curtesy of Oikawacchi - or Oikawa-senpai, as he would've wanted Kise to call him. 10 people was quite a lot to be dragging around a haunted area. Maya suggested that they'd probably split up.

The Doryodo Ruins were not the tamest of places to be exploring, yet only called for a night trip as the university students weren't exactly rolling in extra funds. Oikawa claimed that they would save the budget for a later and more interesting trip.

When they had originally left for the trip, Kise discovered that there were a lot more people in this weird club than he had originally thought. He did recognize Midoriyama from his own basketball team, yet it was no surprise to him that he was here considering his uptight superstitious mannerisms. He also recognized Kuroko who had used to play basketball with him, yet since the boy almost seemed like a ghost himself he was not surprised of his attendance either.

Once they arrived, Oikawa began handing out flashlights and explained how they would be splitting up and which directions they would be going. Midoriyama was on the other team, but for some reason Oikawa and Kuroko were on his. The only person he didn't know was a stoic man named Aone, as he had already been familiar with Maya the week before.

Only a Yachi from the other group was quite visibly terrified, but just by looking at Oikawa-senpai, Kise could somehow tell his nerves were on edge. The dark red almost enhanced the worried features gracing his handsome face.

That was the only thing worrying Kise at the moment: Oikawa's aura had steadily been growing darker and Kise had no idea when it was going to stop. It was on the verge of black now.

How much time did Oikawa Tooru have left?

As their group explored the ruins of the shrine a bit, Kise stayed close beside Oikawa. He could tell Oikawa was glancing at Maya every once in a while, and sometimes him out of the corner of his eye. Then he would avoid staring in the deep darkness where his flashlight trailed, wondering what spirits lay behind the dark.

"Aone seems like the type of person who can protect all of us, don't worry," Kise muttered, reassuring his senpai.

Oikawa glared at him: "I can protect myself."

Kise shrugged: "I can protect you too, if you'd like that." Oikawa's face blended slightly with his aura. Kise could barely make it out in the darkness.

"I almost forgot to give the history," Oikawa announced suddenly, just loud enough so the rest of the group could hear him.

Turns out there was an elderly woman brutally murdered here in the early 60s. Ten years later, the body of a college student was found here: apparently she was murdered by a professor she was having an affair with. Years later, the ruins of the temple previously placed here were further torn down, but apparently people feel weird energies here and hear distant crying.

From the group, only Oikawa seemed the most unnerved. Maya seemed interested, Aone and Kuroko seemed unbothered, and Kise was more interested in Oikawa than anything else.

Kise wondered what the weird energies could possibly be. They probably did not have auras, as living people's auras became almost black just before they died. Perhaps this darkness was just the auras of the dead wandering the area? It was slightly more haunting than usual, but perhaps that was just the mood hanging in the air.

Which brought Kise to thinking even more about Oikawa once again. His aura blended too well within the darkness compared to the bright greens of the rest of the group. As much as Kise wanted to stay away from this dying boy and stay unattached, some driving force made him long to just reach out a little farther and grab his hand, to squeeze it, and to reassure him that he didn't have to be so scared anymore.

How much time could Kise even have with Oikawa?

Their rather nerve-wracking stroll was interrupted by what looked like an alien peeking its head out from behind a tree. Turns out it was only Lev from the other group who had somehow been lost, yet that didn't stop Oikawa from stopping suddenly and dropping his flashlight to grab onto Kise's chest.

Lev and Maya were laughing together over what had just happened, and Oikawa profusely swore at the younger but taller club member, somehow still gripping Kise. Perhaps it was because Kise had put his own arms around him for comfort.

As Oikawa was detaching himself and picking up his flashlight once again, Kise couldn't help but remember Oikawa's warmth in his arms, and how his heart was beating loud and hard enough that he probably definitely felt it. He pretended it didn't matter that much to him, but in reality, it really did matter quite a bit to him.

There had to be some way he could give Oikawa Tooru more time.


	3. ((crossover))

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> crossover just means that this is a crossover ship :-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahahaha ive been really busy and this is being completed wayyy after oikawa rarepair week 2017 but im still using the prompts lol (haha and did you notice word count jumped up 2x,,, at least there's that)
> 
> also i forgot to do this previously but [here is the manga](https://myreadingmanga.info/yoshio-akira-akai-ito-no-shikkou-yuuyo-eng/) from where i first got the general red string idea/au (no worry for spoilers as this fic has different plot and ending than what this one has so far)

Oikawa was lying on the couch in the clubroom, playing a game on his phone. Half of the club was currently present, but the very brief meeting had already ended, so it wasn't like they had much to do.

Both Kise and Maya were here, playing cards together with Midoriyama and Aone at the table. Oikawa would occasionally glance up to look at Maya and even Kise playing, their playing style rather amusing to spectate. He glanced down to the red thread that hung across the room connecting Kise and himself - something that only he could unfortunately see. His eyes shifted back to his own game.

"Oi, club leader," Maya called, Oikawa bringing his attention back to the group. They were all staring at him.

"What?"

"We were talking about all getting together and just hanging out..."

"Actually- for Mayacchi's birthday," Kise interrupted. Maya smiled, and each glanced at each other happily. Oikawa would be more jealous if not for the red string on Kise's pinky. Not like it was a good thing, but at least he was a lot less likely to try to pick up Maya.

"Well, yes,  _that_ , I suppose," Maya shrugged, "It'd still be fun to get together with everyone and have a few drinks though."

"Your birthday?" Oikawa sat up. "You never told me..."

She stuck her tongue out playfully: "You don't have to worry about it."

"What can I get you-?"

"No presents," Maya spoke up, "It'd be great if you could bring drinks though."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I also thought it could be at my apartment," Kise grinned, putting his cards down and stretching, "I have the place to myself-"

"How do you have an entire apartment to yourself?" Oikawa pried, slightly skeptical.

Kise shrugged: "I get good pay from modeling. Some of that goes to school fees though, but I have well off parents who help fund me still." Oikawa scoffed and rolled his eyes a bit, but pulled it off as a cough somehow to not seem as blatantly rude.

"We thought we could do it this weekend," Maya interrupted, "Hey, Midoriyama, you should try and contact everyone else on Line. We should do it this Saturday."

"This Saturday already?" Oikawa hummed, going back to his game already.

"How about 2 o'clock in the afternoon? I can probably clean up the place by then," Kise said.

"Alright, it's a deal," Maya sat back, grabbing her cards again, "I can't wait."

"Me neither," Oikawa murmured, not taking his eyes away from his screen. He heard some cards being slammed onto the table and knew that they had started their game again already, Kise whining in defeat. He glanced up to look at him.

Kise was already looking straight at him.

They both turned away as soon as they realized the other was looking, going back to their separate activities.

Kise had been falling more for him, Oikawa could tell, and it was all because of that damn string. He could see it with every time that he talked with him, and with the extra physical interactions, and the way he'd stare and smile at him while Oikawa was talking. Oikawa needed to find a way to cut their string first and let Kise live his own life, and then probably try again to get it attached to Maya's.

It's not like her string was attached anyways.

Groaning, he rolled over so his face was stuffed in the couch cushions. Lately he had been doing a  _little bit too much_  thinking.

* * *

Rinsing out the mop pail, Kise finished by washing his hands underneath the warm water. Turning the tap off, he wiped his forehead tiredly as if mopping the kitchen floor was intense enough labor to make this basketball star sweat. 

Throwing the dirty rags he had been using to clean with in a bucket, he made his way over to his bedroom. He had actually managed to clean up his entire apartment, just in case his senpais would judge him for every nook and cranny not being entirely sparkling clean. After all, he had to live up to his good impression of himself that he thought they already had of him. 

That, of course, also included himself, which he thought as he searched for relatively nice clothes in his drawers. Showering wouldn't take that long, and then he'd have a whole two hours to himself to do whatever. 

The apartment buzzer rang abruptly, interrupting Kise of his thoughts. Curious, he ditched his clothes in the bathroom before running up to the speakers. It buzzed again rather impatiently, which led him to quicken his pace to a jog.

"I'm coming, I'm coming,  _damn_ ," he called, even though the person at the lobby door couldn't hear him. Kise pressed the button and pulled down his face mask to speak into the mic: "Who's there?"

"It's me."

"The speaker makes your voice sound weird."

"Oikawa."

Kise's heart thudded. Over the past week, he was slowly becoming aware yet still relatively in denial that he might have been harboring a rather unfortunate crush towards his senpai, and having said senpai over at his apartment 2 hours earlier than Mayacchi's party was scheduled would do nothing to assist his case. 

"Oikawacchi-"

"Senpai."

"Oikawa-senpai... why are you here?"

"For the party? Can you let me in?"

"The party isn't for another two hours."

"It's twleve right now."

"And the party is at two.  _Two._ "  _ **[[T/N: Jyuuniji (12 o'clock) vs niji (2 o'clock)]]**. _ They didn't speak for a few seconds. 

"How did you mess up two as twelve?" Kise continued, mind wandering instead of having the sensibility to let his senpai inside.

"Can you please let me in? It's really cold."

"You weren't listening, were you- wait, it's raining outside?" Kise had glanced through a window near him, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause you were busy having your mouth open," he snapped, "I'm  _freezing_... yes, I wasn't paying attention now  _please just let me in_."

"I'm supposed to be showering right now, so I'm leaving the door open. Please lock it behind you; I'll be out of the shower in 10 minutes," Kise instructed, unlocking the apartment lobby door for Oikawa-senpai. He unlocked his own door before rushing off into the shower. 

Kise was halfway through his shower when he heard the front door open and click, and someone shuffling around the front entrance. That person did not move at all past the entrance. Kise tried to hurry up, acutely aware of the fact that Oikawa-senpai could probably hear every single move he made in the tub.

Throwing his clothes on, Kise tried to seem slightly more casual going about his business by drying his hair with a towel while leaving the bathroom. At the entrance to his apartment he was met with a rather wet and upset Oikawa Tooru.

"You look about as soaked as I did 2 minutes ago," Kise teased, dropping his towel around his shoulders and tousling his own hair. 

"Shut up," Oikawa pouted, "My hair's ruined because of this."

"Man, sure must be pretty tough to have a whole hour wasted," Kise gestured to Oikawa's mess of a hairstyle, then adding, "Not to mention an inability to be able to listen to other people while they're talking."

"I was playing a game then!" he defended himself desperately, "Nobody's perfect! Even I mess up a bit sometimes. I swear to god I'll come over and give you a big hug and make your neat clothes nice and wet again." Kise opened his arms and beckoned him to come foreword, to which Oikawa just huffed at and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine. We have two extra hours. You can go take a shower and clean yourself up - I'll look for the smallest clothes I have and there's probably some hair stuff in the bathroom you can work with."

"I'm not that much smaller than you: it's 4cm, damn," Oikawa muttered, bumping Kise with his shoulder as he passed. The bathroom door shut, and left Kise by himself once again. Not quite: he could still hear Oikawa moving around the bathroom and hear the water sputter as the shower turned on. 

Kise didn't have much to do once he was alone. He dug through the bottoms of his dresser and the back of his closet, finding a few barely tighter clothes that he had been too attached to to give away. They were more casual formal than a lot of the shirts Kise would have usually lent, yet considering the fact that it was Mayacchi's birthday, they would probably end up being better for the occasion than a baggy and faded graphic t-shirt. Kise would be lying if he said he didn't notice that Oikawa-senpai had an eye for Maya. 

Did that bother him?  _Not as much as it should have._  He was still kind of in denial about his crush anyways, so it wouldn't matter.  _Better to have Oikawa-senpai happier._  Not like it would matter in the end, Kise thought bitterly, considering his aura was pretty much black now. It almost made Kise sick to think about it. Its reddish glow gave the impression that it was a demon, waiting to steal Oikawa's life earlier than it should ever have been taken. 

There were a few packs of beer stranded by the door, and Kise's brain clicked to where they had come from when he realized the cardboard was drenched. Scrapping the cardboard, he brought the drinks to his fridge. He was tempted to have a can already, so early in the afternoon, yet he decided to wait and see what his senpai would do. 

Staying in the kitchen, he moved around the rations he had bought for the party. Pouring some chips into a bowl here, opening a box of cookies there, and putting another bottle of pop in the fridge. He could hear that Oikawa was finished showering now, but his hairdryer was whirring and he knew better than to expect Oikawa to come out of the bathroom anytime soon.

Oikawa walked into the room while Kise was sat on the floor of his livingroom, sorting his movie collection. He turned from where he sat to look up at his senpai, who was holding his wet clothes. 

"Done already? That was quick," Kise deadpanned, Oikawa scowling back at him. Kise vaguely noticed how nice his senpai looked in his old button up and jeans. 

"Thanks for letting me use your stuff," he sighed, further fluffing up his hair, "Where can I put my wet stuff?"

"I can hang them over the heater in my room," Kise suggested, standing up and taking the clothes from his guest, "You can take them nice and warm when you leave. There's some drinks in the fridge if you want to take some - I'm pretty sure other people are bringing more so it doesn't matter if we start." They both wandered out in slightly different directions.

"Do you want anything?" he could hear Oikawa shout from the kitchen as Kise laid out his clothes.

"Whatever you're having," he shouted back. Kise met him in the kitchen doorway, 2 beers in his hands and a handful of chips in his mouth. "You're not supposed to be having the chips yet, be patient," Kise giggled, taking his drink from Oikawa.

"I'm the guest I can do what I want," Oikawa claimed, opening the can of beer that he had. 

"Um... so we have about roughly an hour and a half to kill... what do you want to do?" Oikawa was sitting himself down on the couch, so Kise went to sit beside him.

"I don't know... you're the host, you choose."

"You're the intrude- guest. You choose." They stared at each other stubbornly for a minute, secretly trying to think of ideas. 

"An hour and a half is enough for an episode of a show. My friend was telling me about this one show I should watch, why don't we start it and see if it's any good?" Oikawa finally spoke up, curling his feet underneath his bum to make himself more comfortable on the couch. "Do you have Netflix?"

"Oh... yeah, I do," Kise mumbled, getting up to configure the TV set. As he was doing so, Oikawa went to go grab a few more beers for their show and even one of the bowls of chips. 

Once they were actually watching the show, they let the screen flicker in front of them and ease them out of their awkwardness. Or at least, set the illusion that it did. Kise was very aware of his guest sitting right beside him on the couch. 

The show itself was relatively interesting, but not quite as interesting as Oikawacchi himself. Oikawa seemed to be paying attention pretty well, but he had also downed more beers than one should at noon before a party, and was at least a quarter through the huge chip bowl. Kise was still on his first beer.

It wasn't like Kise wasn't watching the show. He did watch parts of it (mostly the action-filled bits), but he still became very distracted when Oikawa stretched out. He could feel Oikawa's toes brush up against his own thigh. Kise refused to peek at his senpai and stared intently at the TV screen. He knew he was being a bit awkward and stiff at this point, but he prayed that his senpai was too tipsy to tell. 

"Mmmmm, Ki-chan?" Kise glanced at Oikawa out of the corner of his eye, slightly flustered at the new nickname. Oikawa had previously been relatively hostile any time Kise was a bit friendlier to him, so this new advancement was strange. He hadn't looked at Kise yet though: his attention was completely on the television screen. 

Kise hadn't quite processed how magnificent Oikawa struck as. The first few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned now, which let his face and what was showing of his chest reflect the light of the TV and seem smooth and soft. His air also seemed soft in the light, but stuck up in many places considering how many times he had subconsciously ran his hands through it. He was completely relaxed against the couch cushions, his head lolling back a bit which made him seem like he was watching the show with an upturned nose. Even though his aura was a blackish-red, it gave him an impression of some handsome devil who had come to Earth on a business trip. 

"What is it?" he murmured, letting his eyes linger on Oikawa for a bit longer. It was better than staring at the obviously incoming sex scene that was probably going to happen between one of the main characters and some random girl. 

"You like me, don't you?"

Kise felt like a deer caught in headlights. He had to force himself to act naturally and not let his movements become robotic.

He laughed, slightly forced: "Yeah, of course I do. You're a great senpai and in my club and-"

"Like... a crush on me."

Kise's words died in his mouth, and he opened and closed his mouth like a fish.  _How had he even figured it out?_  Kise could barely even figure it out for himself in the first place. He thought he had been subtle, but apparently not. Maybe Oikawa just became more perceptive with alcohol (since when does that happen though). Or he was just naturally perceptive: he had gone to a few of his volleyball games before after basketball practice and he could tell just how much work other than physical Oikawa-senpai put into his playing. 

Kise turned quickly to hold his face in his hand that was propped up by his elbow on the couch arm. He squeezed his cheek with his fingers and burned holes into his carpet with his eyes. He could tell that Oikawa-senpai was studying him now from the other side of their seat. 

"Well?"

"Maybe I do." Kise's words were muffled by his hand.

"So then you'd want to do those kinds of things with me, wouldn't you?" 

Kise's eyes darted from Oikawa's pointing arm to the television screen. The sex scene was finally in full swing. His eyes flitted away from the screen again, staring intensely as far away as he could from the screen and his senpai. As much as he hated it, he could feel his face growing warmer. This never happened when he was with any other girls before, so at least he could become flustered around Oikawa.

The weight on the entire couch was shifting, and when Kise turned around to regain his balance, he was met with the sight of his senpai crawling on top of him. He wasn't quite drunk, but he was still pretty sluggish. Kise inhaled and leaned further back onto his side of the couch. 

"Um... senpai?"

"Stop moving," he grumbled, placing one hand on Kise's shoulder and the other on the seat cushion beside them to steady himself. 

"What- what are you doing?" He propped his arms up on the couch arm behind him, letting himself lean farther back. Then again, he was making himself more vulnerable in front of Oikawa too. 

"Oh?" Oikawa's face was now extremely near to his own. He could see each individual eyelash and blemish and was very aware of his own heartbeat and breath. His aura was dark enough to isolate them both from the rest of their surroundings. "You're blushing."

"You drank a lot."

"Have I?" He was nuzzling Kise's nose with his own, with his eyes closed and dangerously close. Screw dangerously close: if he so much as took a deep breath their lips would have touched. Kise tried to gulp as inconspicuously as he could. 

"You shouldn't be doing this," Kise whispered.

"Hm? You don't want this?"

"I never said that."

Oikawa let their lips softly touch, kissing gently. Each kiss grew slightly rougher as they both leaned in closer. Kise even brought up his hands to grip at the fabric of his old shirt, pulling him towards himself. 

Getting a sudden burst of confidence, Kise began pushing Oikawa back. The shifted their limbs to move down smoothly, somehow not breaking apart in the process. Oikawa's head finally hit the other couch arm, propped up for easier access on Kise's behalf. 

Licking his bottom lip as they returned for yet another kiss, they started using their tongues, deepening their kisses further. Oikawa's hands were sneaking underneath his shirt and moving up his back. Kise's own hands had crawled up to Oikawa's shoulders, holding them down as they made out. Kise even ground down into Oikawa beneath him, bringing forth a tiny whimper from his senpai's mouth. At some point as that was happening, one of Oikawa's hands had begun to slip past Kise's pants to his ass.

It was the whimper that made Kise more aware of his situation. He broke the kiss slowly, letting them both relish it for its last few moments. His arms planted themselves on either side of Oikawa, letting Kise rise himself above his senpai. 

Oikawa seemed to be almost vulnerable underneath Kise, and it turned him on to no end. His hair was tousled messily atop his head, and his face was completely flushed. He had a bit of a dazed expression on, gazing blissfully at Kise. Kise knew he probably looked at least somewhat similar. 

"I'll go get you some water," Kise spoke up, forcing himself to stand up and pull himself away. He was stopped by a hand around his wrist.

"Wait, no-" Oikawa still seemed dazed, "Don't go." Kise turned around. "More..."

Kise took a deep breath and sunk to his knees to speak face-to-face with his senapi. Hesitating slightly, he brushed his hand across Oikawa's cheek, rubbing it with his thumb. 

"You can have more-" Oikawa moved foreword slightly, but Kise held him down gently, "But when you're not drunk."

"Why not now?"

"Because I don't want this to just be a drunken delusion," he smiled sweetly, dropping his hold and standing up again. He walked out and to the kitchen, taking a few empty beer cans with him to put into the recycling. The show had been completely forgotten about, even though it was reaching its crucial point of the episode now. 

As soon as he was empty-handed, he sunk down on the counter, burying his face in his hands.  _Why was this happening now?_  It's true that he wanted Oikawacchi more than anything, and he had limited time to be with him. Then again, he was strong-willed about the fact of wanting this specific relationship to be genuine, and not just a fling that Oikawa will throw away once he's sober.

With a sudden realization, he noticed that he definitely looked as if he had been making out with someone. He also noticed that the time was worryingly close to the time the rest of the paranormal investigations club was to arrive to his house. In fact, the apartment buzzer rang as he was splashing cold water on his face.

"Fuck," he muttered, turning the tap off and running to the buzzer. "Oikawa, hurry up, look presentable," he shouted to his senpai, who was still lying on the couch. Oikawa seemed confused at first, and then slightly panicked as he sat up and tried fixing his hair. "I filled you up a glass of water in the kitchen." Watching him stumble out of the room, he finally reached the buzzer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kise-kun? Can you let me in?" Mayacchi's voice crackled through the speaker. Hopefully she couldn't tell how out of breath he was.

"Alright; apartment door is open." He opened the lobby door for her and then rushed over to clean up the area him and Oikawa were watching their show. At least everything else for the party was prepped beforehand.

* * *

Oikawa picked up the glass of water set on the counter and downed it easily, reaching for the tap to fill up the glass again. He could hear Kise scrambling madly across his apartment, trying to beat cleaning up the area to Maya-chan climbing the apartment stairs. 

Throughout the show, Oikawa was not drunk. A little tipsy and relaxed, yes, but not drunk. He was still completely in charge of his thoughts and actions and had been monitoring his intake of drink and other food. 

He frowned at the red string on his pinky that was moving around, pointing at the direction to where Kise was. It really was on a whim according to how he felt then, but Oikawa couldn't help but notice that instead of thinking about Maya almost at the party herself, he was remembering of the feeling of Kise's lips, and the weight of his body on his own. 

God, the string was good at what it did. Maybe he  _was_  falling for Kise.

_Not yet_ , _not completely,_  Oikawa shook his head stubbornly, putting the glass back on the counter.  _You haven't given it your all with Maya-chan. You still have a chance._  He buttoned up his shirt as he walked out of the kitchen. The front door was opening, and he could hear Maya's voice across the apartment, along with what sounded like Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and Yachi. 

He still had time to figure this all out.  _Years_.

Years to find out what he was going to do with his goddamn string.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha since i dont actually have a deadline now updates may be slower especially since there are other projects i need to work on (and this saturday im leaving the country for an intense goalkeeping camp near boston for a week so chances are if i dont have something prewritten nothing will be updated :P)  
> not to worry though i do actually have everything planned out so hopefully i can churn out some more stuff asap


	4. goodbyes (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally just going to be one chapter (4 and 5) but it's already been so long since I've posted (I've been busy...sorry...) and also I love a good cliffhanger so why not.

Kise was completely and utterly tired and wanted nothing else more than to be alone at home to get a good night's rest. Unfortunately, there were still a few people were still lingering around his apartment; namely, Oikawa and Maya-chan lounging together across the couch.

He just had closed the door behind Lev and Kuroko, and was retreating back into the living room to find the two in the exact same position as they were before. They were almost drunkenly giggling, but Kise had kept an eye on Oikawa-senpai, and he hadn't had much more to drink since anyone else arrived to the party.

"It's 2 am, you guys should be getting ready to start heading home soon," Kise interrupted them, leaning against the arch of the doorway.

"But we're so comfortable here," Oikawa replied, not looking up from Maya on the couch.

"Are you tired already, Kise-chan?" Maya cooed, smiling devilishly at Kise. Kise rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Unless you want to have a sleepover here, I suggest you should try to get going soon."

"Hmmm... but the last train already went ages ago," Oikawa whined.

"Maya-chan, don't you live a few blocks away?" Kise grinned sweetly at her. She groaned and rolled over slightly.

"Just a few more minutes..."

Admittedly, being both physically and emotionally tired did nothing to help him watch his crush and his crush's crush interact and snuggle together. That, and how said crush was just making out with Kise earlier instead.

Oikawa-senpai's aura was black to the point he wouldn't be surprised if he just dropped dead any second (which he furiously stopped thinking about, as the thought terrified him). Just trying to get it out of his head that he'd be gone in less than a week was too hard to shake, so he tried to remain as oblivious as he could and just didn't think about it. Which was impossible of course, as he was in a constant state of anxiety at this point. The alcohol in his system was heightening his sense of this too.

"Don't worry Maya-chan," Oikawa winked, heaving himself up from the couch, "I'll walk you home."

"What a gentleman," she gushed, dramatically holding her hand over her chest.

"I- I'll go with you guys too," Kise spoke up, trying to think of excuses, "Since you seem to need someone more... level-headed... to escort you home."

"Yay! Our personal escort!" Maya cheered, Oikawa joining her. Kise ignored them, turning around to go find a jacket.

Once they finally managed to all get outside, Kise relaxed as the other two marched off in front of him, leading the way. Being outside gave him a sort of peace of mind that he could receive even with company. It was something about the fresh air, or possibly the lack of natural lighting, or maybe even the lack of people bustling around as there was during the day. Nevertheless, Kise could clear his mind a little bit as he followed Maya back to her house.

Realistically, he should be growing increasingly concerned about Oikawa-senpai's aura. Since he had spent so much time with him, the shade versus time spent had blurred, and he couldn't tell or remember how close he actually was to his deathbed. Anything could kill him, but Kise just wasn't quite sure  _what_.

Now that he was actually thinking about it did the pain start coming to him. It was slightly harder to breathe, and his chest felt tight. It felt like his heart would explode or maybe just stop, and it ached so badly even though Oikawa was still happy and well just in front of him.  _God, why was he cursed like this._

Then there was their little make out session earlier. For the rest of the night, Oikawa-san showed no signs of even remembering that it had occurred. Perhaps that was on purpose, considering how close he had gotten to Maya over the course of the night. Nothing had explicitly happened between them, but Kise could almost feel that the air around them was different now.  _Not for long,_  he thought bitterly and admittedly a bit jealously.

Kise felt lighter than usual - which he knew was the alcohol - but it definitely made him feel like he could do things that he wouldn't do normally. He almost felt like he could run up and kiss Oikawa right there and then, but there was still something stopping him from doing just that. It really was a now or never kind of moment, considering how black and suffocating the aura around his head was. Maya's aura was sickeningly bright beside his. His _own_  aura was unnaturally bright.

Finally at Maya-chan's doorstep, he waved her goodbye as Oikawa jokingly took her hand and kissed it - to which she giggled even more at. Kise had to almost drag his senpai away as he was princely bowing at her. They were finally left alone together, centered in the porch light.

" _Wait.._." Oikawa narrowed his eyes, "The last train already went."

"Well-"

He shrugged: "Guess I'll have to walk home."

" _No!_ "

Oikawa's full attention snapped to him, mildly amused but mostly confused. Kise loosened his grip on his arm slightly.

"Why not?"

"It's... it's too far."

He frowned: "It really isn't. It's nothing compared to volleyball practice."

 _This was Kise's chance to keep Oikawa near him and safe._  There was no doubt about it: he would die on the way home. Even if he didn't, he probably would in the morning and Kise would not be able to be with him. The guilt of not being able to help him even if he knew beforehand... not to mention his growing and out-of-control attachment to this boy... he would never be able to forgive himself. He had to keep him in his reach at all times.

"Well... wouldn't it be easier... if you just slept at my place?" Oikawa gave him a questioning look. "You can take my bed - I'll just sleep on the couch. And then you can go in the morning when the trains are running again. Or... just stay... if your hangover is really bad..." Kise was grasping at straws now.

"Alright... fine..." Oikawa murmured, moving around him to head back to Kise's place. Kise went to walk beside him.

They were silent for a little while as they walked. Kise had to force himself to talk and keep the awkward atmosphere from completely suffocating them.

"So... how's Maya-chan?"

"Didn't you just see her?" Oikawa deadpanned.

"Well..." he hesitated, "You two seemed to be getting along... very well... back there. Is there something happening between you?" He smirked knowingly, trying to not let his eyes betray his emotions. Oikawa was pretty observant though, so Kise wasn't so sure how easily he'd be seen through.

Oikawa shrugged, pushing his hands further into his pockets as he spoke: "Hmm, I hope so. I wanna say it's been more than usual tonight, but I dunno if that's just my perspective or not."

"Oh? More than usual?"

"We've known each other for 2 years now."

"... Usual, huh."

"Yeah, I've liked her for 2 years now."

Kise didn't know what to say. That was pretty impressive, liking someone for so long and then keeping quiet about it.  _And here he was worrying about liking Oikawa-senpai for only a few weeks._

"Wow. Tough luck."

"Yeah. I don't want to ruin our friendship though. As much as I wanna date her, I'm happy enough being friends."

"... That sounds difficult."

He frowned: "Not so much if you're not thinking about it."

Silence again. Oikawa was sauntering ahead of him, already knowing the way back to Kise's apartment. Kise stayed behind him, watching him sway from side to side, completely relaxed despite the black aura around his head that he couldn't see. 

Kise's heart was thudding hard inside of his chest. It almost even shook his entire body, making each breath slightly shakier than the last. What it was from, he wasn't quite sure. However, it was definitely either jealousy of Maya-chan or the fact that in only a few hours Kise wouldn't be able to speak with Oikawa anymore. And here he was, in his company well and alive right now, not quite on the best of terms with each other. God, Kise wanted to be, but he wasn't quite sure how to do that. Silence was  _probably not_  the answer.

Yet he still didn't speak up. His heart set his nerves on edge and made him want to sprint all the way back to the apartment. Or perhaps jump 10 meters in the air and attack if something jumped out at him or Oikawa-senpai. He was more alert than usual, and concentrated on listening to distant city sounds and feeling the faint wind brush up against his fingertips. He'd had a sensation similar to this on the court for basketball multiple times. 

Kise's heart plummeted to the ground when puzzle pieces in his brain started connecting. Of course his body was reacting: he'd subconsciously realized it. He was almost stopped in his tracks, time slowing down around him as he analyzed his setting and watched Oikawa begin to cross the quiet street ahead of them, staggering slightly. 

Oikawa's aura wasn't visible at all in the dark around them - it blended in completely. Just as dark as the air around the Doryodo Ruins. Kise could practically see his timer tick down, like grains of sand trickling through an hourglass.  _Oikawa wasn't going to die in a few hours._

He was dying  _now_. 

_Directly in front of Kise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of this is the part i actually started writing this fic for so i promise itll be out next week (i also don't have anything scheduled then)
> 
> ill definitely finish this fic before i go back to school


	5. goodbyes (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was a bit weird to write, so be forewarned it's mostly mental and kinda like the neon genesis evangelion season finale in a way??? idk just roll with it
> 
> tbh this would be a lot better if it was animated so i tried my best with words oop

_Dying. Death. Dead. Deceased. Gone forever._

Realistically, everything would have occurred within the time-span of a few seconds, but adrenaline and instinct took a role in Kise's brain before he could have any say in it. Because,  _really_ : it wasn't hard to guess what was going to happen. Oikawa Tooru was drunkenly staggering across a too-quiet street in the middle of the night. 

Or at least, they had thought it was quiet while they were walking up to it.

A funny thing it was to have the ways the universe was plotting death in his hands. It was ingrained into him that he could only look and not touch; that much was common sense to him. He had ended up not wanting to interfere anyways. Who knows what kind of consequences he would have had to endure?

And yet here was the strange Oikawa Tooru, who had literally made him reevaluate his entire life and its meaning. His curse almost became a power in his eyes; a selfish power to stop bad things from happening. Or at least, anything that would directly relate to him.

Would it really be so selfish as to save him? Save him from dying, and everyone who knows him from mourning... that doesn't seem all that selfish, really.  _But why him, and not anyone else?_ Why was Oikawa so much more important than everyone else he had seen with red and black auras? Why was he the one whose life was held above everyone else's on a pedestal in Kise's mind?

It's not like Kise had time to think about that anyways, as his feet were already leaving the ground and picking up speed to catch up with his friend. This was crazy.  _He was crazy._  Kise didn't even know if it would even work.

Auras never reversed: they just didn't work that way. And... they never sped up either. Which is why Kise, with his definitely-still-green aura - running in front of a speeding car in front of Oikawa Tooru - was insane.

He supposed that even if maybe he did have some power over the universe, the universe still didn't have any power over him. Despite his glowing green aura partially engulfing Oikawa's black one as he threw himself on top of him, bright headlights were still approaching at a definitely illegal speed. Even though he had tried to push him out of the way with the force of his body, the car still managed to be faster and reached the two of them before they could even react.

There never was an impact. Well - theoretically - yes, there definitely was, but Kise didn't process it. 

* * *

Oikawa actually felt a lot more levelheaded than when he was... well... conscious. That being said, he still didn't know where the fuck he was.

Yet for some reason, the lack of everything calmed him. He was probably floating, if not for suddenly thinking that he was sitting down on a surface instead. After all, there was nowhere to  _go_.

For lack of a better word, he was in his head. Or... just a conscience. Oikawa couldn't see anything... or not as he would have normally, at least. He was probably in a different dimension.

This didn't feel like death though. He moved around as whatever he was, trying to remember what had happened.

First of all, he was walking somewhere... in the middle of the night. With someone... a Kise Ryouta. And... they got hit by a car. Oikawa couldn't remember anything past there.

Sorting his thoughts, he filed them and reorganized them into somewhat of a timeline as he had them while he was still...  _alive_ , for lack of a better word. Some came with emotions, and others confused him until they were placed properly.

Somehow, he finally realized what was some sort of connection coming out of his conscience. If he was third-dimensional, he would've recognized that as his red string of fate, attached directly to his heart. Apparently it really  _was_ connected to his soul.

The connection, however, was lost somewhere in the distance. It was as if it disappeared through a wall of fog or void around him, swaying and bouncing from some sort of nonexistent wind. Oikawa couldn't quite see who was at the other end of the connection, or just how far away they were.

He suddenly remembered.  _That's right:_  his soulmate was Kise Ryouta. The one he had been trying to avoid to get his string tied around Maya instead. It suddenly felt like the connection held Oikawa's entire conscious in an iron grip, refusing to let him go anywhere.

That, or it could have just been his imagination.

Then again, the mind was a powerful thing.

Before he could start feeling anything towards the connection, Oikawa began to notice something different; something that he never had when he was alive.

For some reason, he was back on Earth again. His state didn't let him stay in either some sort of bird's eye view or in first person of everyone passing around, but he still wandered around and examined the people/consciences around him. He could still see their strings of fate weaved around and through each body, yet there were now more colours suddenly in the mix.

The colours were fogged around people's heads. For the most part, they ranged from bright greens to bright yellows. Younger people and small children were the ones with greens, and older folk were usually the ones who sported yellow and the occasional red. Somehow, Oikawa already felt like he knew that they represented their lifespans. Rather than a guess, it was more like seeing a reading on a scientific instrument. He  _knew_ it was their lifespan.

It suddenly occurred to him that he probably had a lifespan - or had had one - too. Perhaps he could tell whether or not he was dead by seeing-?

But no matter how much he twisted and turned and squinted for something -  _anything_ \- he just  _couldn't find it_. The air near him almost grew darker around his head. Darker than even that red of the lady who passed directly in front of him.

Perhaps he  _was_ dead. There was no way around that fact.

But what had really happened? Wasn't he supposed to go somewhere? Or even simply not exist? Why was he stuck in some ghostly limbo, seeing passerbys continue on with their daily lives? Why could he only now see their lifespans in addition to their strings of fate?

It was almost like being in a dream, but somehow Oikawa phased out of being between bustling people to that weird foggy space again - void of pretty much everything. He could barely conceive sound in his state, but it was already starting to sound muffled again. 

He suddenly caught sight of his own string of fate right in front of him, stretched out further into the fog. Oikawa began to move closer - closer and closer until he was approaching the figure at the end of it. The figure had its back to him, standing and staring off into the distance.

Just before he became too close, Oikawa stopped. He knew it was Kise by now; his conscious was easy to pick out from everyone else's. What he noticed different this time was the colour of Kise's aura.

His lifespan was green.  _Bright green_.

Oikawa almost stepped back. They weren't with the living and the alive. There was nothing here. They were both supposed to be dead. They got hit with a car together, and Oikawa's nonexistent aura proved that he wasn't alive. 

_So why was Kise's aura still green?_

What if... what if Kise could see people's auras? That would logically be the only way any of this could connect, if it wasn't just a _'dead people can see other people's lifespans'_  thing. Maybe  _then_ Kise would be able to tell that Oikawa was about to die, and possibly had some sort of say in it. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be here... right?

Kise's figure suddenly moved in front of him, and tried turning and reaching out to Oikawa. Oikawa stood his ground as he watched the image of Kise crack and shatter without warning like a broken mirror. The string hung in the air where Kise's image was, almost as if Kise was still there but Oikawa just couldn't reach him.

They were both dead now. 

 _But of course, that's your fault, isnt it?_  Oikawa thought to himself bitterly.  _Kise would only do something as cut his life over threefold if it was for the red string of fate._

Something that wasn't him responded.

_**Which is why you have the power to cut that string. You have a choice, just like Kise Ryouta chose to die with you.** _

* * *

Kise didn't know where he was. He could definitely guess, but that still didn't bring him any closer to finding out.

If he had to choose, he would have said he was in some other dimension that he wouldn't be able to process if he woke up alive again. He was just his conscious right now, floating around through nothing.

Or, if he wanted, it  _could_ be something.  _But what?_  What did he want?

Screw being anything. What ended up taking his attention was his own muddled green aura. It wasn't exactly a different shade, but rather blurred or smeared as if it were watercolour. Like a glitch. He  _had_ messed with it, after all.

Was it even possible for him to be dead now? Perhaps he wasn't dead at all, and just nonexistent. Those didn't have to be the same things... did they?

Why did he even die in the first place? Why did he want so badly to mess with the ways of the universe? 

Kise didn't process it right away, but he finally realized there was something else coming out of his conscious- or rather,  _soul_. It was some sort of connection, and it tied him to something else. Something important.  _Someone_ important.

There were people around him. A busy street. Pedestrians. Kise was in the middle of all of it, like some ghost.  _Well, a ghost wouldn't be that wrong of a term for whatever this was,_  he thought to himself.

The people, as per usual, were walking through a cloud of mixed auras, so close that it was almost hard to tell them apart. Kise usually preferred large crowds like these, because then it was harder for him to tell who was going to die sooner rather than later.

Yet there was now something else in the mix. A connection - a red string - woven around each conscious, the strings trailing off in every different direction like a confusing web. A couple holding hands with their string connecting their pinkies passed through Kise, letting him put the puzzle pieces together.

_The Red String of Fate._

Kise's string led somewhere too. It didn't take him long to realize that his was probably connected with Oikawa. It made sense, all of this: his sudden feelings, the way he felt more attached than he had ever felt before, even the one kiss from earlier...

And then there was Oikawa himself. Why could Kise even see the strings now? Did it have something to do with Oikawa-senpai? Perhaps was he able to see everyone's strings of fate, just as he could now.

But then why would Oikawa do his best to avoid him? He would have been blind to have not noticed it at least a little.

Unless... he was just like Kise. Maybe Oikawa wasn't willing to follow what the universe had planned out for them, and was trying to get away from the burden of being able to see his entire life fold out in front of him. 

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. Oikawa had liked Maya-chan for a long time - perhaps he had been wishing for his string to connect with hers. To step out of the boundary planned for his life. At least Kise was logical enough even in this state to not put his heart first and accept his way of thinking.

Turning around, Kise could see his string stop near to him, tied onto the figure of Oikawa Tooru staring back at him. Kise took a step foreword, trying to reach out to him and ask him about the string and about what he could see and about  _everything_... but his surroundings cracked and crashed around him. Shards of Oikawa's image shattered as they fell, leaving Kise alone once again. 

They were both dead now anyways. It's not like the string mattered anymore.

What would have been better? Staying alive? Being dead? Which was more important? Were either very important at all? In the end, what would come out of any of this? The string was just a string, connecting two consciences from an inconceivable amount of others.

 _Maybe it was better to be alive._  Whether or not it was important, it was still okay to indulge. There were good things that came out of being alive. If he could be alive again... he'd do anything to make Oikawa-senpai happy. He didn't need to be that selfish, but as long as Oikawa was happy, Kise would be fine.

 _But perhaps I don't have that much power over the universe after all,_  Kise thought absently, floating aimlessly through whatever space he was in now.

**_But perhaps you do._ **

* * *

Cut... the string of fate?  _That was possible?_  Oikawa glanced at the connection stretching out of him.

**_There's always a way to do something._ **

That could be true in some case, Oikawa supposed, but why here? It almost felt like nothing was real anyways. If it was perhaps his imagination, then  _maybe_ then it was possible.

**_But this isn't your imagination._ **

How could he prove that?

**_Was the String of Fate ever a part of your imagination?_ **

No - Oikawa had definitely seen proof that it was real. He didn't have that good of intuition. But, that being said, it wasn't impossible that this was some sort of feverish dream.

**_Even if this is a dream, would you still cut the string?_ **

If this was a dream, he would cut it just to see what would happen. If it wasn't, he wouldn't take such liberty in deciding something so important without hesitation.

_**So then, what will you do?** _

What could Oikawa do? What would make him cutting the string selfless rather than selfish? There was no point in being blatantly selfish in a decision that involved two souls. Cutting the string to only  _hope_  that it would connect to Maya's instead was incredibly self-centered.

But... this whole being dead thing... it  _was his fault._  Did it even matter if he cut the string now or not? 

What if... what if it really was the string that made it his fault? That it somehow made Kise want to stupidly sacrifice himself... maybe the string was what made him  _'dead'_. After all, Kise's aura was still a perfectly healthy green.

Perhaps if he cut the string, he would somehow be able to save Kise. To  _liberate_ him. No strings attached.

**_So then, will you cut the String?_ **

_Yes_ , Oikawa decided, _I think I will._

* * *

Sacrifice was an interesting topic. It was what had mainly brought Kise here in the first place. Strange how selfless he was being, but to find that there was a way out of this? There must be some sort of other sacrifice involved.

**_From your point of view, there may be, but from when you were alive, it is less._ **

What could that mean? Dead versus alive... how much different could you get?

**_You should know better than anyone, with that power of yours._ **

Ah, yes. The auras. The lifespans. The only logical solution would be to give some of his own life energy to Oikawa. However, when he was alive, Kise didn't even think that wasn't possible. 

_Can I still do it?_

**_Yes._ **

Then how? What made  _him_  different to anyone else? Just being able to see them did nothing... or at least, almost nothing. Otherwise, only Oikawa would have been dead. How could he save Oikawa Tooru?

**_Your connection._ **

_The Red String of Fate?_  Kise glanced down at it again. He had only just started being able to see it, so it didn't make that much sense. Perhaps... because they were more spiritually bound than with other people, it was possible?

Loved ones always seemed strangely connected. A lot of the time, Kise noticed that close couples usually had around the same colours of auras. Perhaps they  _were_ connected somehow. Why, however - Kise had no clue.

_I've gone this far. I'll do it for him._

**_You are willing to give him half of your lifespan?_ **

_Yes, I am._

Kise watched his own lifespan slowly fade from green to yellow.

* * *

Oikawa was sitting on the ground. He preferred to think closer to a third-dimensional kind of thinking, which is why he was like this now. That, the string in his hands that was wrapped around his finger, and the scissors held in his right hand.

Hesitation was hitting him in waves, crashing over him and leaving him with piles of self-doubt.  _Could he really do this? Was he really doing this?_  His hands shook.

 _Why was he getting so worried over a simple string?_  Kise had  _died_ for him, and Oikawa was unsure whether or not he was able to cut a tiny thread. It was all for the greater good anyhow.

The scissors sat open, the string barely quivering between the sharp blades. It was swaying still, barely bothered by Oikawa's shakiness. He was seeing red now. It's not like he was oxygen deprived, or even had a circulatory system anymore.

 _No, wait_. This red... it wasn't his imagination... it was his  _aura_. His aura was  _changing_. 

Oikawa stilled. Why on earth was his aura changing again?  _This couldn't be the result of him cutting the string...?_ No, it couldn't have. He hadn't cut the string yet. Plus it was  _him_ gaining life, not Kise.

He panicked. His aura was already a cherry red at this point, and plenty more visible than it was before.  _Oikawa was going to be too late to cut the string._

But did he really need to cut the string still? Wouldn't this mean that Kise would still somehow live?

No, Oikawa's resolve couldn't be shaken that easily. There- there  _had_ to be reasons other than trying to connect himself with Maya. He just... didn't want Kise to be caught up in all of this mess anymore.  _That was it._  

Kise deserved someone better than him. Someone he didn't have to die for.

A scary thought crossed Oikawa's mind:  _What if the life he was gaining was being taken away from Kise?_   _What if he survived, and Kise didn't?_   That was all that it took to convince Oikawa.

Closing his eyes, Oikawa let the scissors snip through his red String of Fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh this chapter feels like nothing happened at all but at the same time everything happened
> 
> sorry ive been so busy!! luckily there's only one more chapter to go but i also have an impossible school schedule so i'll see how that fits in


	6. free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahaha its been so overdue but like,,,, work and writers block again lollllllll
> 
> anyways this was really cute to write i hope you guys like this last chapter :^)

It wasn't a bad dream. That, Oikawa knew. He would have woken up with a start and be lying back in his own bed now - or perhaps still in Kise's apartment. Instead, he was waking up slowly within an unfamiliar environment.

Oikawa was  _sore. Everywhere. Everything_  hurt, despite the calming peace of the lack of stimulation within the room he was currently situated in. The furniture and walls were dull greys and whites. There wasn't anyone else in the room, except for possibly another patient on the other side of the curtain hung up beside his cot. Other than some monotone beeping, everything in the room and directly outside was still. 

Stiffly shifting where he lay, Oikawa noticed all of the cords attached to his body, trailing off of his bed into various machines. He lifted up on of his arms to inspect just how many were coming from it.

There were a few basics, yes, but one definitely stood out from the rest. In stunned awe as he turned his hand his hand over and over in the air, he watched the red string tied around his pinky twirl and dangle in the air.

It trailed off into nothing after only a few centimeters.

Oikawa dropped his arm back onto his mattress beside him, old pain rippling throughout his arm from the impact. Cloudy memories floated through his head, explaining why his string was like that now. He was too dazed to pick out any distinct emotion from those memories, yet he could already tell there was going to need to be a lot of thinking done.

Another thing he casually noticed was now that he was back in a 3-dimensional plane of existence; all of the weird lifespan auras were gone. Oikawa knew his was probably back to a yellow now, but the trickling and ever-present yet invisible knowledge of everyone's auras being  _just_ out of sight made his skin crawl like nothing else. He wondered how many deaths Kise had to witness.

_Kise. Ryouta Kise. Where was he?_

The hint of a smile quirked at his lips, threatening to break despite the mere concept of Kise remaining to be a thought.  _How was he doing? Did he feel better now that the string was cut?_

_Did he make it?_

That impulsive thought froze Oikawa to the very core, and tensed him up so much that his sheets were now bunched up inside of his fists.  _Was it possible his sacrifice was all for nothing?_  He bit his lip, his mind racing.

"Ki-chan?" Oikawa's voice was rough and difficult to use as if it had been a while, yet despite that his voice had ended up morphing into a higher pitch anyways - partially out of speech habits and partially because he was  _terrified_.

To his utter surprise and disbelief, there was a slight grunt and a reply on the other side of the curtain: "... Oikawacchi?"

Oikawa didn't know what he felt, but it all washed over him with such force that all of his breath was knocked out of him and he couldn't respond immediately.  _What even was mixed in there? Worry. Relief. Sadness. Hope. Fondness. Love. Slight irritation._

"Senpai."

"... Oikawa-senpai." Oikawa could tell he was grinning. Hell,  _he_ was even grinning so much that his face was beginning to hurt.

"Did... you  _made it_ , didn't you."

"Yeah. So did you."

"I'm glad."

"I'm so happy, Oikawacchi." Silence.  _Comfortable_ silence. They basked in the silence, knowing that it was full of good news and more time. "Oikawa-senpai?"

"Yes?"

"Can I call you by your first name?"

In any other situation, Oikawa would have been irritated, but nothing could deflate his happiness now. Perhaps it would make him even more elated to have Kise calling him by his first name.

"... Just this once."

"Toorucchi."

"Don't abuse my name like that."

"I think it's cute."

Oikawa didn't know how to respond. Well, he was blushing, but that didn't quite count as a direct response as there was still a curtain between them.

"Ryouta-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you doing?"

"Two broken arms and some broken ribs. I was right in the way between you two and ended up partially cushioning you when we were rammed out of the way."

"Oh. Shit."

"Yeah. Don't worry about me too much. How about you, Toorucchi? "

"I'm not sure... I just woke up. Probably the worst I have though is my left arm broken and a concussion. You... won't be able to play basketball for a really long time."

"And you with volleyball."

"You don't deserve this."

"And you less. I could tell you were even considering going into it as a professional."

" _And_? What about you?" Oikawa interjected, trying to not think about everything he was going to have to give up now.

"I was planning on going more into modeling anyways. I originally only went into basketball because it was always changing. It was interesting. I- I don't really want to think about this now though. We still have plenty of time.  _Here_. I don't think we're getting better any time soon."

"Yeah."

"We were still pretty lucky."

"Yeah."

"Guess that car wasn't going as fast as we thought it was."

Oikawa stayed silent.  _The auras were Kise's thing, weren't they?_  He was the one who could tell. The one who went against what only  _he_ could see, just like Oikawa had been attempting to do. 

"You knew, didn't you," Oikawa spoke up again, softly.

"About what?"

"About everything."

Silence again. This time it was slightly more uncomfortable. There was tension in the air that could be cut with knife. It was somehow mutually agreed upon that this was going to be a difficult subject to tread upon. Perhaps Kise had seen the strings as well.

"I did."

"And?"

"I knew you were going to die."

"Is that why... back- back  _there_? Your aura was... green?"

"... You saw them?"

"Well... you saw the  _strings_ , didn't you?" The term was laced with irritation, both from the effects it had previously brought upon him and because what Oikawa had done with his own.

"So they were yours."

"I didn't think anyone else could...  _see_."

"Me neither. Are they... are they really that bad?"

"Yes," Oikawa sighed, closing his eyes, "Not everything is perfect. You should know better than anyone."

"O-oh, you're right."

"Ki-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you do it?"

" _Do_... sacrifice everything?"

"Yeah. That."

"I- I couldn't just watch you die slowly before my own eyes. Not again, I  _hate_ the system. That's why it was... it was so  _hard_ for me to...  _you know_... the string..."

"Don't worry. That was all the strings fault."

"It wasn't." Kise's words were just above a squeak, but they were sincere and relatively sure of themselves.

"It's been settled already, Ryouta-chan. You don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Toorucchi...  _what did you do..._ "

"What had to be done," he put simply, "I think you already know." Kise didn't say anything to that. It was dreadfully silent, to the point that Oikawa even felt like the only living being in the entire room. "Don't you feel...  _freer_... now?"

"I- I don't know."

"I don't want you to only be guided by the string's way of doing things."

"Well, now you can really go get Mayacchi, right?" Kise's fake enthusiasm irked Oikawa. He could hear the smile in his voice, yes, but it sounded so  _fake_. It sounded  _strained_ , it sounded  _melancholic. It sounded hopeless._

"Oh... oh, yeah... I guess..." Oikawa had completely forgotten up until now. His heart dropped. Something about the direction the conversation was going made him want to escape. Escape the room, the conversation, his own head -  _everything_. Anything to make his own heart stop aching. 

"Well at least we're both alive now. That's what I wanted."

"You gave me half of your lifespan, didn't you."

_"So what if I did?"_  His tone was sharper now, and dug painfully into Oikawa.

"T- thank you. I really mean it."

"... It's no problem."

"... Get better soon, Ryouta-chan."

"... You too."

* * *

The day after, they were allowed to have the curtain pulled back. Oikawa knew he probably looked like shit too, but seeing the road-burn painted across the one side of Kise's face was something he hadn't completely been prepared to see. Kise seemed happy despite the amount of bandages he was encased in, but perhaps that what Oikawa looked like from the outside too.

They didn't discuss much about what had happened before - what happened while they were dead. Instead, the chatted amiably about shows, about life, and about visitors that had been coming to see them. Their visitors themselves seemed rather surprised at how cheerful the two were despite being in such conditions. Honestly, both were secretly just relieved that they were both still alive.

Maya-chan visited a  _lot_. A few times a week. She said it was on the way from some of her classes. 

While she was visiting, Kise would smile and laugh when they joked around, but still looked more exhausted than before. Sometimes when Oikawa was losing it over some small joke that Maya had made, he'd catch Kise out of the corner of his eye staring at him. Not always him, but rather just his hand. When he realized he had been caught, Kise would slide his eyes away and smile at Oikawa sheepishly, and then continue to laugh and make a comment on what Maya-chan had said. 

Oikawa would take another look at that hand every time that happened. The string never connected, but something inside of him almost didn't  _want_ it to connect. That something inside him made something fall within him every time he saw Kise's face of defeat. He knew that he had been interested in Maya-chan before, but now more than ever did Oikawa want to disprove that theory to him.

Sometimes he would even catch Kise holding onto his own pinky, playing with it absently as he stared at the blank ceiling above him. 

Oikawa wanted to comfort him, but he didn't quite know  _how_ yet. Maya herself became less interesting as she had been before, and Oikawa let his attention stray over to Kise while she was reciting some anecdote. Kise had become a better listener than him at this point.

It had been about after a week that they'd been in there that the two of them had started walking around their room a bit. They'd visit each other's beds, and sit by their feet as they talked. Oikawa was becoming more comfortable with Kise, but Kise had become more cautious. He could tell with the avoided eye contact and nervous smiles he had received. Oikawa tried to ignore these, but they still frustrated some small part of him that craved his attention now.

In fact, Oikawa was the one sitting on Kise's bed tonight. Kise was propped up against his pillow, but staring at some corner behind Oikawa. Oikawa was rubbing Kise's leg underneath the hospital covers with his good hand, humming absently as he did so.

"Hey, Ryo-chan." Kise didn't acknowledge him whatsoever. Oikawa continued: "What did you mean by it wasn't all the string?"

"What did you mean when you said you cut the string?"

"... Can you just answer my question? I really want to know." A sigh. Oikawa glanced up to Kise's face and noticed he was still avoiding eye contact. 

"I've seen people die in front of me before. I've had to all my life. I tried avoiding you at first when I saw that your aura was red but... I don't know... you just ended up being everywhere I went. Maya's fault, I guess, now that I think about it." Kise's hand was playing with his sheets, just in front of Oikawa. They didn't try to go anywhere near him, though. "I thought you were attractive when I first saw you but... it just kinda grew from there."

"That sounds a lot like it was just the string."

"It wasn't!" he mumbled, frustrated. His face tensed as he tried to figure out his reasoning. "There was... more behind it than just... fate... I know too! I have...  _these_ auras. Plus, what's wrong with  _liking_ someone?"

"The string is made for the person to fall in love with someone."

"So? What's wrong with that? If it's one-sided, well... you know  _exactly_ how that goes, don't you?" 

Oikawa stopped moving.  _Kise had mentioned his crush on Maya-chan._

"What's so different with you then from me?" Kise continued.

"Well... the string-"

"How could we tell if you couldn't see the strings?"

"Th- the string doesn't matter anymore, anyways! It was all just the string because if it wasn't, you'd still like me now!"

" _... Who said I still don't like you now?_ " Oikawa's head whipped up at Kise's mumbled answer. Kise himself was biting his lip, fists clenched as he awaited Oikawa's answer.

"I-" Oikawa started, instantly being interrupted by Kise anyhow.

"You also never answered my question."

"O- oh... that."

"I suppose you're allowed to be as selfish as you want, but-"

"No! It wasn't just that!"

" _Then what was it?!_ " Kise almost shouted, silencing Oikawa abruptly. His tone was  _defeated_. 

"I... I just  _thought_... that the only reason you had to die too was... was because of that stupid  _string_. Your aura was still so green, and yet you were dead with me so I- I thought just  _maybe_ I could fix it and you'd wake up again perfectly fine-"

Kise's tone was softer now: "That's not how it'd wor-"

"Maybe! But I had to  _try_!" Oikawa was now avoiding his gaze, despite the fact that he was pretty sure Kise was actually staring at him now. He brought his hand to his lap so that he didn't squeeze Kise's leg too hard. "It was the only option I had. There- you didn't have to give up so much of your life just for me. I'm not worth it."

"You are. That's why I gave it up in the first place."

"No, there's no way-"

"That's not your decision." Kise had shifted his hand so he could touch Oikawa's fingers closest to him. Oikawa's breath stopped in his chest. "You don't have to worry about that. Plus, look on the bright side: we can grow old together." When Oikawa glanced up, he saw that Kise had a stunning smile plastered on his face, brightening up the entire room and make something swell within Oikawa.

"But the string isn't connected anymore-"

"So? You never cared about that before, did you?"

"I- uh..." Oikawa coughed awkwardly into the arm that wasn't touching Kise. Never in this life had he been so flustered around someone else, so he was struggling to think of what to say. "So- so... you said you... you mentioned you still like me?"

Kise stared at him, bewildered: "Of course I do. Love doesn't just fade away after one night. Plus, I never had a reason to fall out of love with you anyways."

"The string-"

"I've  _told_ you already," he sighed, exasperated, "Just stop with the string already. It's gotten us virtually nowhere important so far."

"Of course it has."

_"How?"_

"It made you fall in love with me in the first place."

Kise smiled patiently: "No, not everything revolves around the String. The String only shows a prediction; I made my own choice."

"Love isn't a choice-"

"Okay, fine, I didn't choose it-"

"Exactly-"

"But I chose to stick with it under my own volition."

Oikawa was rendered speechless again.

"Plus, you found your away around the system. And so did I. You  _know_ it's not perfect," Kise added. He shifted his hand up a bit more so his fingers could curl around the tips of Oikawa's.

_"Maybe I do love you,"_  Oikawa finally mumbled. He smirked slightly at Kise's shocked stare before turning around on the bed so he could lie down completely. Snuggling up in his arm, he rested his head on Kise's chest before relaxing completely. "Your chest is okay, right?"

"U- uh, yeah! Th- the broken rib is on the other side-"

"You're cute," Oikawa snickered, playing with the hand that had previously been curled around his fingers.

"You're cuter."

"Lies."

They rested there in comfortable silence for a good minute or two, listening to each others' heartbeats and breathing patterns and the beeping machines around the room. Tingling warmth spread throughout Oikawa. He closed his eyes and didn't open them again until Kise spoke up quietly.

"I know this is probably the worst possible time to say it but uh... what about Mayacchi?"

"What about her?"

"Y- you obviously... you  _said_ you had liked her for a really long time now."

"I..." Oikawa chose his words carefully, trying to figure out just what he wanted to say, "I ended up getting over her. I lost interest."

"And suddenly became interested in me?"

"We've been through a lot together. Of course I did."

"That sounds more ridiculous than you blaming my love on the string." Kise sounded fond. He rubbed his thumb against the back of the other's hand.

"Oh, shut up. I probably had started liking you before, but denial is apparently a thing I do. You didn't feel anything different with me though? Like something on your pinky?"

"Do you ever feel anything on your pinky? Or do you just  _see_ it?"

Oikawa rearranged himself to release his other arm, voice strained: "Hmm well... I can  _feel_ that there's nothing there right now, because-" His voice stopped abruptly as soon as his eyes caught sight of his pinky finger. Kise watched him in confusion as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

Leaping out of the bed so suddenly that Kise groaned in pain, Oikawa almost shouted, waving his arm around the air: "It's there! It's connected! What the  _fuck_? How did it already connect?!" Kise still seemed confused, probably as he couldn't see what Oikawa could at the moment.

"W- what? I thought you cut it?"

"I thought I did too," he mumbled in disbelief, twirling his hand around and watching the red string dangle in the air. His eyes followed its trail, and he froze once again when he realized it was tied around Kise's other hand. "It  _reconnected_."

" _What_?!" Kise sat straight up, holding the bad side of his chest as he moved.

"It reconnected." Oikawa started laughing, "It reconnected, Ki-chan,  _holy shit_ , it  _reconnected_."

"I didn't know it could do that," Kise gaped, running a hand through his hair. 

"Me neither." Oikawa was full of giggles now, dancing around the space he had available to him despite the monitors and IV he was still hooked up to. "Now we can really stay together and have a family and spend our lives with each other and grow old-"

Kise was reaching out for him, trying to drag him back into his bed: "Who said we couldn't do that before?" Oikawa obliged, snuggling back up into Kise's arms. Kise bent over as best as he could and kissed Oikawa on the head for a really long time. 

* * *

Oikawa was _really warm_. Everything about him was warm. His skin, his voice, the yellow aura that perfectly blended in with Kise's aura. The colour that spoke of his happiness in a way he couldn't put in words.

And here he was, the magnificent Oikawa Tooru himself, snuggled right up in his arms. Apparently their red String of Fate was connected once again too. Not only that, but it wasn't like before, how he'd ignore their connection - even when they made out on his living room couch. The Oikawa nuzzling into his chest and probably asleep right now had said  _himself_ that he loved Kise back now.

_Oikawa really was beautiful._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM DONE  
> ill be back at some point, probably with one of the projects ive been talking to Lisa about so stay tuned (by christmas hopefully,,, turns out school is worse than i expected lol)
> 
>  
> 
> i also really wanna go back and edit everything here but i say that for everything and yet

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://universalsatan.tumblr.com/)   
>    
>  [writing blog](http://celestialberries.tumblr.com/)   
> 


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